to put a note in dds homework pointing out the teachers errors

[brook1]

My dd did some comprehension homework last week and brought it home on Friday after it had been marked by the teacher (or possibly ta).

One of the answers my daughter put to her question was "they would have been fed to the sharcks".

The teacher has crossed out fed and replaced it with feed and has crossed out the "c" from "sharcks" and replaced it with an "e" so it now reads "they would have been feed to the shareks".

We are not allowed to speak to the teachers in the mornings about any issues unless they are urgent so we have to make an appointment. I didnt think it was worthy of wasting an appointment but I do feel like it needs pointing out.

DH thinks I will look stroppy if I put a note in.

AIBU.

But you could do that on the back of a degree too. You will both know enough to challenge a bright student and more importantly be able to think around your subject sufficiently to go 'off-specification'. I teach two subjects at A level. I have a degree and PhD is one, and just a degree in the other. I am not a better teacher in one than the other.

re_ my previous reply
Ha ha - no Brook, I'm not a TA ( I am a
teacher tho'). Just thought it a bit OTT to need to write a note about the shark/sharek thing. Notes aren't good. Tell the teacher you're bothered and ask her who marked it. Otherwise, let it go.

I'm sure that even a TA with no higher education qualifications could mark a yr2 child's homework that has a simple right or wrong answer!

If you simply get DD to write out the correct sentence, at the end of the work, your whole problem is solved without you having to say or write anything.

There are many highly qualified TAs moondog, many have good degrees and excellent experience. There are all sorts of reasons why they are working as TAs.

Most I know are TAs primarily because of the term time, school hour contracts which enable them to work, but still be able to spend maxuimum time with their own school age children. The only downside is the financial aspect of the job.

We have extraordinarily well trained TAs, many of whom just don't want to teach but enjoy what they do.

Annnnyhow. OP did you mark the teacher's work? And what did she say?

No, Orm, in the end, I opted to cross out what the teacher had written and wrote the correct words above.

I explained to my daughter that out of the 2 errors, one was not actually an error and that the teacher had mistakenly crossed it out and changed it. And I explained that the other word "sharck" was spelt wrong but that "sharek" was not right either so I told her how to spell it correctly.

The teacher hasnt mentioned anything to me, I doubt in fact whether she will even see it because she will have no reason to revert to that page of her homework book again. But, hey ho, we will see how things go in the new year.

Whether or not it was right or wrong to point out the errors, I have to admit that when I have read back this post to myself, it still doesnt sound good when the teacher is making incorrect alterations to a childs homework.

TAs do mark work.. i was marking work when i was a student TA on placement..

i'd correct it as well.

ImSoNotTelling - the point isn't that the op can't spell. She obv knows how to use apostrophes, but doesn't see the point in making sure she gets the correct when posting as 'I'm not paid to do it.'

And most people talking about getting it wrong were drawing attention to the fact that teachers make mistakes too, not necessarily that they can't do it.

By LeQueen Tue 15-Dec-09 14:49:36
"So if we were writing about sharks, I'd correct 'sharek' but maybe turn a blind eye to 'ferrotius' or 'terrorfying', in a student with weak spelling skills trying to use more interesting vocabulary. The last thing I'd want is for the child to think 'right, I'll stick to words I know I can spell'."

So, exactly when will the child be taught to spell ferocious correctly? Or terrifying? When? Or do we just pat them on the head for trying and let them leave school barely literate?

Or is it really too much to ask, that the teacher should praise them for extending their vocabularly, and then gently suggest they go and look-up the correct spelling of the word, and practice it. And, then (gasp) the teacher can praise them for using a new word that is also correctly spelt."

Hello LeQueen - just seen your reply to my earlier post.

It's a vexed question & I don't have a particularly entrenched position on it.

The student would be getting extra help with literacy & would be focusing closely on spelling strategies there.

I suspect you're going to say that's a cop out, but tbh, I had a particular student in mind - if I corrected every last spelling error she'd throw her chair at me. Again. All she'd see is red ink = my work is worthless.

I use my discretion & knowledge of individual students when I mark their work; it would probably be much easier to have a blanket 'zero tolerance for spelling errors' policy, but I fail to be convinced that it would be more effective.

It might be different at primary - by secondary, serious literacy issues are a 'whole school' problem & impinge on everything the child does - they require separate intervention.

Are there all sorts of reasons why there are TAs with excellent qualifications? I'd've thought one of two reasons: wanting to be around before and after school for their own children; not wanting a demanding job.